How To Start a Boat Storage Business

Boats of all shapes and sizes provide pleasant escapes for their owners, especially during summer weather. But in most parts of the country, sailboats, cabin cruisers and yachts risk damage or deteroriation if left in the water over the winter months.

Since most city governments have ordinances against storing boats on driveways or city streets, boat owners need a secure place for their boats to spend the winter. Start a boat storage business to accommodate the many boat owners who invest thousands of dollars in their vessels and need safe and reliable storage for at least part of every year.

Decide whether you want to appeal to cost-conscious boat owners who want the least expensive rental rates possible, meaning your storage facility may be an open field with security fencing and guards. To attract the more affluent boat owners, you will need to invest in a building or warehouse of some type with adequate lighting, security measures and temperature controls. Be sure that the dimensions of the building you plan to use for your boat storage business are high enough to accommodate boats as tall as 12 feet, and that the flooring can handle boats weighing as much as five tons.

Next in importance to the kind of storage facility you offer is its location. Locate your facility as close as possible to marinas and bodies of water, such as lakes and rivers, where boaters congregate. It will be easy for boaters in the area to pass by your storage facility on their way to and from boating activities; this makes for some natural marketing for your new business.

Be sure to maximize the storage space available in your boat storage facility by offering stacked boat cradles. Invest in a boat lift and you will be able to use the lift to double or triple the amount of boats you can store by stacking them into storage cradles for the season.

Not only should you offer boat owners a high level of security for their stored boats, you should also protect yourself with the proper amount of insurance to protect against theft, vandalism and damage.

You will succeed in attracting more boat storage customers by investing in state-of-the-art security systems, including surveillance cameras and alarm systems. The sophisticated equipment used aboard many boats today must be protected from theft and damage while being stored at your facility, and securing a customer's confidence and business will be easier when you emphasize the security of your facility.

Advertise your boat storage business with repair shops and other marine-oriented businesses in the area, as well as advertising in boating publications read by boating enthusiasts who may have need of your services.